The so Predicted event to launch a whole lot of products already happened
Amazon already had a couple of devices in mind to release for this event. This took a turn when Amazon unveiled around 12 new products in the line-up. All of them including refreshed models of its old Alexa-based devices. The devices brought in the majority of the audience’s attention.
The new range of Smart Products are faster, more reliable and even few of them will function without the internet connection. This will make a lot of noise in the field of Smart Connectivity where staying connected to a source of internet is important and without the internet, a vast majority of these devices wouldn’t even function. The devices solely depend on the internet to perform various activities.
https://twitter.com/fmanjoo/status/1042819050819076096
Highlights
- The next generation of Amazon Echo Devices are immediately available after the launch of the devices in Seattle
- The Most Popular Amazon Echo Dot is ready for shipping to India
- Amazon also launched the Echo Dot Plus which stays connected and works offline, even when there is no internet connection
The Two Amazon Echo Products will make their debut:
Echo Dot
Amazon issued a light refresh for the pucklike Echo Dot. The squashed cylinder now looks like a squashed ball of dough, with rounded edges at its top and bottom and a fabric covering its sides.
It has four mics inside compared to the previous model’s seven. Its sound quality has improved along with its overall volume—it can play audio 70 percent louder than the previous model. It’s still priced at $49.99 (₹4,499), but Amazon has been known to put the device on sale for significantly less. The Echo Dot is the gateway drug into the Alexa ecosystem and one of the cheapest ways to outfit an entire home with Echo devices.
Echo Plus
While it skipped updating the Echo, which got a refresh last year, Amazon gave the $149.99 (₹14,499) Echo Plus a familiar redesign with the same fabric-covered outside but with rounded edges like the Echo Dot. In addition to improved audio—bass performance, specifically—the device now includes a temperature sensor, making it a more useful addition to homes with connected heating or cooling products. While the Echo is “just” a speaker, the Echo Plus is a truly smart home hub that happens to be in speaker form.
Google’s fingerprints were all over today’s Amazon event https://t.co/syVEO1CLXY
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) September 21, 2018
Products which will ship later by 2018
The 14 biggest announcements from Amazon’s surprise hardware event https://t.co/5ZNjiIwmoQ pic.twitter.com/ii8PfTU6ty
— The Verge (@verge) September 21, 2018
Echo Show
Amazon beefed up the Echo Show with a larger 10-inch display. Like the Echo Plus, the $229.99 device has a ZigBee-connected home hub inside. The Echo Show aims to lead the growing smart-display space and offer users the combined benefits of a smart speaker and a tablet, but with hands-free operation.
Echo Auto
Amazon also introduced Echo Auto, a new Echo product designed specifically for the car-a solution for those who want Alexa integration during their daily commutes but aren’t interested in, or able to upgrade to, a new vehicle that has Alexa built-in.
Echo Wall Clock
If you already own an Echo device, you can expand its utility-when it comes to setting alarms, timers, reminders, or checking the time with the $29.99 Echo Wall Clock.
Echo Input
For those who have high-quality speakers already and no intention of adding an Echo speaker to their home, the Echo Input fills the void.
Addition to the Sound System
Echo Sub
On the opposite end, Amazon is also expanding its speaker offerings so you can have a whole Amazon-audio outfit if you choose. The $129.99 Echo Sub is a 100W subwoofer designed to deliver the bass in your home entertainment system. It can be paired with two compatible Echo speaker devices for a 2.1 stereo audio system.
Echo Link
Amazon’s next pair of products doesn’t include mics, as they’re meant to accompany your existing Amazon-based home audio setup. The Echo Link is a $199.99 device that connects to another receiver or amplifier and delivers quality audio. While it looks slick, I’m unclear why someone would opt for this instead of the $34.99 Echo Input. The Echo Link Amp builds on the Echo Link by including a 60W two-channel amplifier inside. It costs $299.99 and, like the Echo Link, has numerous input and output ports for integrating with your existing audio arrangement.
Fire TV Recast
Sticking with the living room, Amazon also debuted a companion DVR, the Fire TV Recast, for watching, recording, and replaying TV. This device, which needs a separate over-the-air antenna to work, plays content on a Fire TV, Echo Show, Fire tablet, iOS, or Android, and comes in two variants.
Amazon also introduced new smart home devices.
AmazonBasics Microwave
Amazon's Alexa microwave is officially a thing https://t.co/jCZPnja4P8 pic.twitter.com/RYtO24YWeQ
— Mashable (@mashable) September 20, 2018
Yes, Amazon has its own microwave now. One can now use Alexa to say things like, “Alexa, microwave two potatoes” or to heat up coffee, and with the assistant’s vast knowledge, she’ll heat things to the exact right degree. The microwave also includes Amazon Dash Replenishment with an “Auto Popcorn Replenishment” feature so you can automatically reorder popcorn before you run out.
It’s a compact countertop microwave unit that costs $59.99-Alexa isn’t built-in but rather works through a paired Echo device.
Amazon Smart Plug
If one has a specific appliance or electronic in your home one would like to control with Alexa, the $24.99 Smart Plug will do the trick. It works with various Alexa devices or the Alexa app on phone, which can use to set up a routine with the plug. Like the Echo Input, this is a convenient, affordable way to add Alexa smarts in your home without a big purchase.
Ring Stick Up Cam
Lastly, Amazon introduced a pair of products for monitoring your home from Ring, the company it acquired earlier this year for $1 billion.
The Ring Stick Up Cam is an indoor-outdoor smart home camera that shoots 1080p wide-angle video with a night-vision mode and two-way talk abilities. It’ll work with Ring Alarm and Alexa in the near future, and it comes in wired and battery variants.
Given Alexa integration is coming later; its likely Ring was already finishing up this product when it got acquired by Amazon. The device looks like a white can with a black camera on the front, and its affixed to a stand so it can sit on a flat surface or stick to a wall.